Law enforcement personnel in 2022 stand watch in front of public art that was the target of a bombing attempt. Credit: Sanford Nowlin

Local and federal authorities are investigating what appears to be an attempted bombing of a public sculpture downtown that depicts Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin, Texas Public Radio reports.

The sculpture, located near TPR’s offices, was targeted with an apparent explosive device around 2:30 a.m Monday, according to a tweet from Joey Palacios, a reporter with the news organization.

TPR security cameras captured footage of a man in a yellow shirt, ski mask and baseball cap walking toward the sculpture then placing what appears to be a pair of paint cans under Lenin’s head. Shortly after, the cans exploded, according to TPR’s report.

The explosion shook the sculpture and caused some damage to the lower half of Lenin’s head. However, the artwork remains structurally sound, TPR reports.

In a statement sent to the radio station, the FBI said personnel are working with state and local partners to investigate the incident. No injuries were reported, the agency also said.

According to TPR, the piece, titled Miss Mao Trying to Poise Herself at the Top of Lenin’s Head, was created by the Gaos, a pair of Chinese artists who are also brothers. The sculpture features what TPR calls “a small, feminized figure of Mao Tse Tung using a long pole to balance on Vladimir Lenin’s head.”

Although the artwork features two high-profile communist figures, it’s actually a critique of life under authoritarian rule, according to multiple media reports since it was installed in March.

Even so, the statue next to the San Pedro Creek Culture Park has drawn criticism on social media and from conservative radio talk shows since it appeared downtown.

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This article appears in Nov 2-15, 2022.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...